Ally McCoist can’t condone the Union Bears’ mass walk out in Rangers’ victory against St Johnstone on Sunday – but reckons disgruntled fans have every right to feel aggrieved with a club that has “fallen asleep”.
With their team 3-1 up after 55 minutes at Ibrox, the Union Bears – alongside the Rangers Supporters Association – walked out of the stadium in protest against the running of the club, with the Gers now trailing Celtic at the top of the Premiership by 15 points. Prior to the walk out, they also burst into chants calling for under-fire boss Phillippe Clement to be sacked and held up various banners criticising the Rangers hierarchy, one of which read ‘Rangers Football Club is in the wrong hands’.
Ibrox legend McCoist doesn’t like the way angry supporters have gone about making their feelings on the handling of the club clear but admits the evidence of failure is mounting against the Rangers board. Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “Oh they have got a point. I am not sure they are going the right way about it but they have certainly got a point.
“You can argue that they (Rangers) have stood still since Steven won the league, I think that’s blatantly obvious. I also think the dismissal of (Gio) van Bronckhorst at that particular time was far too early. I will defend the fans’ rights to do as they choose, and if they want to walk out, I defend that.
“I personally don’t think it is the right thing to do and I think they are making their views crystal clear in what they are doing without even doing that. The one thing that the team need at the moment is support but they yes they have fallen asleep. Three years ago that club lost a European final on penalties after battering Dortmund and beating Leipzig.
“Look at them now, they are unrecognisable. I will stand by it again, yes they have fallen asleep but the recruitment in places has been appalling.”
Asked by Jim White about the club’s vote of confidence to Clement, McCoist replied: “They have got to get together, and they will. I don’t think the new chief executive has said anything startling but he has put his weight behind Philippe Clement at this moment in time, which is absolutely fine. It will be interesting to see where it takes us, there will be changes.
“But all they can do is sit down and have a plan. First of all there has to be better recruitment and better level of player at the football club.”
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